[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 16451-16452]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF LABOR UNIONS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Payne) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, nearly 25 million Americans are currently 
unemployed or underemployed; yet despite this disparaging rate, efforts 
to strengthen the workforce are being derailed by special interest 
attacks on the middle class and workers. In Wisconsin, Governor Scott 
Walker has taken away nearly all collective bargaining rights from the 
majority of the State's public employees.

[[Page 16452]]

  An Ohio referendum on State Senate Bill 5 aims to strip public 
workers of collective bargaining rights. For the 4 years prior to the 
enactment of Ohio's collective bargaining law, the State led the Nation 
in safety forces work stoppages. When the city and its safety forces 
had a dispute concerning wages, working conditions, and adequate 
staffing, there was no way to resolve the dispute. That is why the 
collective bargaining law was passed. And the law has worked. There 
have been no safety forces work stoppages in Ohio since the law was 
passed.
  Only through collective bargaining do American workers still have a 
voice. Still, this right is being attacked.
  The New Jersey Statehouse passed a bill destroying the right of 
public sector unions to collectively bargain over health care and 
pension issues. These efforts to turn back the clock on public safety 
and on those who protect and serve are unacceptable.
  Today I rise in support of the workers of Wisconsin; I rise in 
support of the workers of Ohio; I rise in support of the workers of my 
home State of New Jersey. I rise today in support of the millions of 
Americans who stand as proud union members seeking fair labor treatment 
and a fair shot at the American Dream.
  I have been protected by unions. I worked as a truck driver; I worked 
as a teacher; I worked on the docks of Newark; I worked as a waiter; I 
worked in the breweries of Newark--all of them protected by strong 
unions. And that's what helped me get through college and helped me get 
to the United States Congress.

                              {time}  1100

  Today, I stand with 99 of my House colleagues to speak on H. Res. 
452, which I introduced yesterday and which will recognize the 
importance labor unions play by ensuring a strong middle class by 
advocating for more equitable wages, humane working conditions, 
improved benefits and increased civic engagement of everyday citizens--
the 99 percent. Ninety-nine Members cosponsored this resolution, and 
I'm proud to introduce it.
  Unions have pioneered benefits such as paid health care and pensions 
and have helped strengthen access to the American dream by helping to 
establish government policies and efforts such as family leave, minimum 
wage, and Social Security. Unions have also been effective in 
supporting immigrant rights, trade policy, health care and living wage 
legislation.
  Unions have been the voice for everyday Americans--from consumer 
protections to health, safety, and civil rights. The labor movement has 
fought to allow workers to negotiate on more equal footing with their 
employers, providing for a healthy, balanced workplace.
  Unions benefit everyone, members and nonmembers. According to the 
Economic Policy Institute, if more of the 66 million American workers 
who want to join a union could join one tomorrow, their paychecks and 
benefits would increase, but so would millions of others. The union 
premium, as it's called, succeeds in lifting wages of nonunion 
employees in the same industries while not being a deterring factor of 
the State's economic or its growth record.
  Unfortunately, there has been a decline in union membership, due 
largely to unfair labor practices and scare tactics by union-busting 
employers. Between 1999 and 2007, more than 86,000 workers filed unfair 
labor practice claims with the NLRB for being illegally fired by their 
employer for union activity.
  As a result of such efforts to weaken unions, among other things, our 
economy continues to suffer and the gap between the rich and the poor 
continues to widen, undermining the foundation of the American middle 
class. Contrary to the belief of union bashers, unions do not increase 
unemployment or reduce job opportunities. Rather, there are a great 
deal of facts that correlate the strength of the economy and the middle 
class to the growth or decline of union membership.
  Further, a recent report from the Congressional Budget Office also 
infers the impact that union membership decline has had on our economy 
and wealth distribution. The report found that from 1979 to 2007, 
average inflation-adjusted after tax income grew by 275 percent for the 
1 percent of the population with the highest income. For those in the 
top 20 percent of the population, average real income grew only by 65 
percent. However, the bottom fifth rose only by 18 percent. Three-
fifths of the people are in the middle, and they grew by 40 percent. So 
that is not an equal distribution of growth wealth.
  The Wall Street Journal has stated ``the main reason U.S. companies 
are reluctant to step up hiring is scant demand.'' Demand is scarce 
because wages are stagnant while profits are up. The chief investment 
officer at JPMorgan Chase states: ``U.S. labor compensation is now at a 
50-year low relative to both company sales and U.S. GDP.'' While wages 
are down, profit margins are up.
  Let me ask you to support this legislation. We will continue to stand 
on the steps of Ohio, march in the streets of New Jersey, in our 
neighborhoods. I, in addition to the 99 Members of the House who 
support this bill, we urge its passage.

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